Mothers’ details are finally set to be included on marriage certificates

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We can’t quite believe it’s 2018 and we’re only just telling you this, but… mothers’ names are finally going to be included on marriage certificates.

According to the Sunday Times, the Home Office signed off on a proposal towards the end of last year.

Currently, the document only records the names and occupations of the bride and groom’s fathers. But a campaign led by MP Dame Caroline Spelman and the Rev. Alan Smith – who sits in the House of Lords – fought to modernise the system.

It will also include changes on civil partnership certificates.

This isn’t the first time that the update has been sought, but previous proposals failed to go through because of concerns over cost.

It had been argued that replacing register books across the country could cost as much as £13 million, as 84,000 marriage registers only have space for the fathers’ names.

The mothers’ details will reportedly be included in a digital register, solving this issue, although it’s not clear if certificates presented on the day will be in the new or old format.

David Cameron pledged to add mothers’ details three years ago, saying that the current system ‘does not reflect modern Britain’. This isn’t exactly surprising, seeing as it dates back to the reign of Queen Victoria.

Harry Benson, of the Marriage Foundation, tells MailOnline: ‘Having only the father’s name on the certificate is one reason why people mistakenly think marriage can be a patriarchal institution.’